Antonin Dvořák: Composer's life & music | Classic FM Antonin Dvořák Biography Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) was a Czech composer of Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák's most well known work is his Symphony No.9, 'From the New World'. Life and Music Antonin Dvorak was born the eldest of eight children in a small village north of Prague. Folk music accompanied every occasion, and Dvorak soon joined his father in the local band. He studied organ, violin, piano and, less successfully, German. In 1871, still with none of his music publicly performed or published, he left the orchestra to concentrate on composing, scratching a living by giving piano lessons. Antonin and Anna were wed on 17 November 1873 and enjoyed a long and fruitful marriage. In 1877, on recommendation by Brahms, the publisher Simrock commissioned Dvorak to write some Slavonic Dances for piano duet, aimed at the lucrative domestic market.

Dvorak fast became an international celebrity, in some places almost overnight. In Berlin the sheet music sold out in one day. In 1891 Dvorak got an offer from Mrs Jeannette Thurber, the wife of a millionaire businessman, who wanted him as Director of the New Conservatory of Music in New York. For a little teaching and conducting, with four month's vacation, he would receive the unimaginable salary of $15, 000 - 25 times what he was paid in Prague, and worth about £500,000 in today's terms. The Dvoraks sailed to New York in autumn 1892, and their time in America produced three of his most famous works, the String Quartet No.12, 'American', the Cello Concerto in B minor; and the 'New World' Symphony. The last years of his life, Dvorak was content. He composed some short orchestral works and wrote his operatic masterpiece, Rusalka. When he died of a heart attack after a short illness, he was mourned as a national hero, and his music has remained popular ever since. Did you know?

Dvorak was absolutely mad about trains and everything to do with them. When he was a teacher, he would always ask his pupils to describe in detail any train journeys that they had recently made! Dvořák: 15 facts about the great composer Czech composer Antonin Dvořák, famous for his Symphony No.9 'From the New World', was passionate about his homeland and its traditional music. Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) - an overview of the classical composer Folk Music & Songs Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) Dvorak was one of several composers from the Romantic era who let his cultural roots shine through his music. Although the structure of his music follows generally along classical lines, his rhythms and melodies seem to embody the folk traditions of his native Czechoslovakia and surrounding regions. He was born in the village of Nelahozeves near Prague where his father was a butcher. Although his early circumstances were relatively poor, he learned violin, viola, piano and organ at school. The young Dvorak was clearly very interested in music making and destined for a career in music.

He later studied in Prague and there for a number of years he played viola in the Provisional Theatre Orchestra. This gave him some excellent practical experience not only in performing but in orchestral dynamics. The chief conductor of this orchestra was none other than Bedrich Smetana. Smetana was the founding father of the nationalist school of music in his country and Dvorak was to follow his example in this respect for the rest of his life. Among other composers to influence Dvorak was Richard Wagner . Dvorak played in a concert of Wagner excerpts conducted by the composer himself, and this experience had a noticable impact on the direction that Dvorak was to take. Another perhaps more lasting influence on his music was Johannes Brahms . Their paths crossed when Brahms was one of the judges in a composing competition which Dvorak won three years running. The two became friends and there is clearly much in common with their music in the way that they spoke the romantic idiom while staying true to the classical traditions of Beethoven and Schubert . But the two composers differed significantly in their overall sound. While Brahms' sound was often austere, he envied the younger composer's ability to produce infectious melodies with apparent ease.

Dvorak's melodies were not based on existing folk songs but they clearly belonged to the same family. Dvorak also introduced some local dances with characteristic rhythms or forms to his music, such as Polkas, the Furiant and the Ukranian Dumka. These traditional dances permeated his popular sets of "Slavonic Dances" but also found their way into other works. He also produced a number of Symphonic Poems based on Czech stories like The Golden Spinning Wheel and The Water Goblin. Antonin Dvorak in the New World Although his music is generally fresh, happy and extrovert, Dvorak also at times betrayed a melancholy side to his music. As his stature in the music world grew, he took a post as a professor in the Prague Conservatory and later became Director of that establishment. He toured Europe making some fruitful visits to London. He also went to America with his family and took up the director post in the National Conservatory of Music in New York. There he continued his interest in folk music learning about Black American and Native American music traditions.

During his stay there he was to produce some of his well-known works including the famous Cello Concerto in Bm, a Violin Concerto for Brahms' friend Joachim, the "American Quartet" and his "New World Symphony" which seems to quote four notes from the spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot . Dvorak's music for his 9th symphony (subtitled "From the New World") was originally intended for an opera based on Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha" but that project was abandoned. The Slow Movement from the symphony is said to betray the composer's homesickness for his native land. The melody from this slow movement is played on the Cor Anglais an instrumental relative of the Oboe. The theme has been used on television adverts and was the basis for the song "Going Home". Dvorak himself was to go home after 3 years and he died in Prague in 1904. In a sense the composer Leo Janacek followed in Dvorak's footsteps since he was the next big Czech composer who looked to his native folk music for inspiration.

However Janacek's music is very distinctive and quite unlike Dvorak's sound world. Dvorak's influence was perhaps stronger in the English speaking world where composers in England and America followed his lead and sought to mine their own folk music traditions for melodies and for inspiration. Certainly Dvorak's time in America and his interest in the music of Native Americans and African Americans showed the way for others, and his New World Symphony in particular set an example. Dvorak also had another indirect influence on the course of American music when the American composer John Stepan Zamecnik (1872-1953) studied with him for a number of years in Prague. Later, having returned to the US, Zamecnik worked closely with Samuel Fox of the Sam Fox Publishing Company to create a library of sheet music used by pianists to accompany silent films, and he also composed a string of film scores in the 1920s and 1930s in addition to concert and band pieces.

Antonin Dvorak's works: Several Operas, such as Rusalka - with its aria "O Silver Moon" Choral Music - Stabat Mater, St Ludmila, a Mass in D and a Requiem, a Te Deum, various songs and the Moravian Duets, The Spectre's Bride, The Heirs of the White Mountains Symphonic Poems - The Noonday Witch (in 4 movements), The Golden Spinning Wheel, The Water Goblin, The Wild Dove Concert Overtures - The Carnival Overture, Nature, Othello Other Orchestral Works - Symphonic Variations, Serenade in Dm, Serenade in Strings in E, Nocturne in B for Strings, Romance in F for violin and orchestra, the Scherzo Capriccioso Various Concertos - Violin Concerto, Piano Concerto in G, 2 Cello Concertos, the 2nd in Bm is the best known and was often played and recorded by the famous cellist Rostropovich 9 Symphonies - at one time the numbering of these was confused (e.g.

on older recordings) but things seem to have sorted themselves out now - the best ones are numbers 6, 7 in Dm, 8 in G and 9 in Em subtitled "From The New World" - here is the well-known 2nd movement "Largo" Orchestral , arranged for Piano Solo or for Solo Instrument and Piano Lots of chamber music - including 13 String Quartets (e.g. No.12 in F "The American"), String Quintets, Piano Quartets, Piano Quintets, Piano Trios (e.g. the "Dumky Trio"), the Sonatina for Violin and Piano, and many others 16 Slavonic Dances - 2 sets of 8 released some years apart, Op.46 and Op.72 8 Humoresques - including the well-known No.7 Antonin Dvorak - Recommended Sheet Music: Here are some further links to good sheet music by Dvorak: Dumky Trio Op.90 for Piano, Violin and Cello - sheetmusicplus Antonin Dvorak - Selected Albums: The following albums give a broad selection of the most popular works by Dvorak: Symphony No.

9 in E minor, Op. 95, From the New World - Marin Alsop conducting the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra - Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com Symphonies Nos 7, 8 and 9 on 2 CDs - Christoph von Dohnanyi conducting the Cleveland Orchestra - Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com All the Symphonies Nos 1-9 on 6 CDs - István Kertész conducting the London Symphony Orchestra - Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com Cello Concerto in Bm and Symphony No.

8 in G - Yo-yo Ma (cello) and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra - Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com The Piano and Violin Concertos, plus "Silent woods" (for Cello & Orchestra) - Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com The 16 Slavonic Dances Op.46 and Op.72 Artur Rodzinski and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com All the Symphonic Poems on 2 CDs - Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra - Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com The Complete (13) String Quartets on 10 CDs - Played by the Stamitz Quintet - Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com The 2 Piano Quartets Op.23 and Op.87 - Susan Tomes (piano) Krysia Osostowicz (violin) Timothy Boulton (viola) Richard Lester (cello) - Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com 20 Classical Music Names You Are Probably Mispronouncing | The Huffington Post 20 Classical Music Names You Are Probably Mispronouncing 03/20/2014 10:54 am ET |

 Updated Mar 22, 2014 610 Katherine Brooks Senior Arts & Culture Editor, The Huffington Post.

De Agostini / A. Dagli Orti via Getty Images Everybody wants to be a classical music connoisseur. But when it comes down to it, it's not only difficult to grasp the style and sound of the world's most famous musicians and composers, it's nearly impossibly to pronounce their names. Some are visually daunting (Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, for example) while others are short brain busters that have you second guessing the annunciation of a six-letter word (ahem, Frederic Chopin). Who wants to be caught fawning over "Ride of the Valkyries" whilst referring to the musical mastermind behind it as Richard Wagner with a pronounced double u? The answer: no one. So, to help our readers along the daunting path to enlightenment , we've compiled a list of 20 classical music names you are probably pronouncing... wrong. Read our suggestions for spitting out the tongue twisters, soak them in, practice them in front of the mirror. Only then will you be the confident classical music snob you've always wanted to be. Go forth and annunciate. Note: There are, undoubtedly, more ways to pronounce these names.

Our suggestions are, for the most part, based on the International Phonetic Alphabet for English speakers, but we'd love to hear how you pronounce some of the musician and composer names in the comments. 1. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Let's start out with an oldie but a goodie -- the man who brought us "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake." Tchaikovsky's name is often anglicized so you have two options. For a pronunciation closer to its Russian origins: PYAW-tr Ihl-YICH Chuh-KOFF-skee. For the easy way out, Peter will do. 2. Claude Debussy This 19th/20th century master of chromaticism is famous for his version of "Clair de Lune." So how do you say his name? Well, the whole thing is Achille-Claude Debussy, pronounced Uh-SHEEL Klode Duh-bew-SEE. Tip: watch the "a" in Achille, which lands somewhere between pat and bra, and the "u' in Debussy which has no English equivalent. 3.

Franz Liszt Liszt was an icon of the "Neudeutsche Schule" ("New German School") who composed the "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C- Sharp" we know so well. When discussing his symphonic poetry, you should carefully say Frahnts List. Bonus: try inserting the German phonetic "ʁ" (sort of like loch) before the "a" in his first name. 4. Felix Mendelssohn Oh, Mendelssohn. How we love your "A Midsummer Night's Dream" soundtrack. We love it so much we're going to correctly pronounce your name Fey-liks Men-dle-SZAWN. Or, you know, just Felix Men-dill-son. 5. Gustav Mahler Goo-STAHF MAH-ler wrote one of the "Symphony No. 5" pieces you adore. Not Mailer. ("Ah" like someone is sticking a tongue depressor down your throat.) 6. Ludwig van Beethoven This one is relatively easy.

In fact, most kindergartners know that the man behind a certain ninth symphony's "Ode to Joy" is not pronounced "Beeth-oven." But, just in case, the correct pronunciation for an English-speaker is: LOOD-vig vahn BAY-toe-vuhn. (Note: the "oo" should be pronounced like good or woman.) For those with an urge to try the German pronunciation: LOOT-vik fahn BATE-haw-fuhn. 7. Frederic Chopin Honor the Romantic-era Polish composer famous for preludes and etudes by pronouncing Show-PEHN. The French would be easier on the "o" and hardly pronounce the "n," in case you're feeling fancy. 8. George Frideric Handel Nothing celebrates scriptural text like HEN-Duhl's "Messiah." Please, no Handle. 9. Joseph Haydn Another two-syllable trickster. When weighing the good and bad of "The Seasons," you should refer to its composer as HIE-duhn. 10. Arnold Schoenberg Schoenberg was a painter, composer and theorist who taught the likes of John Cage and Leon Kirchner.

His name is pronounced SHOON-berg. 11. Maurice Ravel Easy. The mind behind "Jeux d'eau" is Moe-REESE Rah-VEL. 12. Camille Saint-Saens Bet you can't listen to "The Carnival of the Animals" without wondering how to pronounce the prolific composer's name. It's Kahm-EEY Suhs-Sahns. Watch the last "a" -- try like croissant. 13. Richard Wagner VAHG-ner. Let "Ride of the Valkyries" play you out. 14. Igor Stravinsky "The Rite of Spring" sounds so much sweeter when you know how to pronounce EE-gor Strah-VIN-skee. 15. Antonin Dvorak AHN-to-neen DVOR-Zhahk is that 19th/20th century Czech composer who often incorporated the folk sounds of his home country into his work. 16. Bela Bartok Celebrated as one of the founders of ethnomusicology, this Hungarian composer's name is BAY-lah Bar-TOKE. 17.

Sergei Prokofiev Prokofiev arranged a beautiful composition for the children's tale "Peter and the Wolf." The correct pronunciation of his name is Pro-KOE-fee-yeff. 18. Sergei Rachmaninoff Rakh-MAWN-een-off is perhaps the easiest way to phonetically illustrate the name of this Russian composer, famous for pieces like "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." Remember, Russian words usually have only one syllable emphasized, so the rest should be rather quick. 19. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Here's another long one: Nee-koe-LIE REEM-ski KOR-suh-koff. Now go listen to "Flight of the Bumblebee." 20. Sofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina We wish more female composers (and more diversity, in general) filled the ranks of music history archives, but until then, here's how to pronounce 20th century Russian composer Soe-FEE-yah Ahs-guh-TOVE-na Goo-bye-DOOL-na. QUICK BONUS: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart = MOAT-zart.

Johannes Brahms = Brahms! Johann Sebastian Bach = Bawkh. Dmitri Shostakovich = Shaw-stuh-KOE-vich. Philip Glass = Just kidding. Antonï¿½n Dvorï¿½k | ArkivMusic Antonï¿½n Dvorï¿½k Biography Born: 1841 Died: 1904 Country: Czechoslovakia Period: Romantic Widely regarded as the most distinguished of Czech composers, Antonin Dvorï¿½k (1841-1904) produced attractive and vigorous music possessed of clear formal outlines, melodies that are both memorable and spontaneous-sounding, and a colorful, effective instrumental sense. Dvorï¿½k is considered one of the major figures of nationalism, both proselytizing for and making actual use of folk influences, which he expertly combined with Classical forms in Read more works of all genres. His symphonies are among his most widely appreciated works; the Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World," 1893) takes a place among the finest and most popular examples of the symphonic literature.

Similarly, his Cello Concerto (1894-1895) is one of the cornerstones of the repertory, providing the soloist an opportunity for virtuosic flair and soaring expressivity. Dvorï¿½k displayed special skill in writing for chamber ensembles, producing dozens of such works; among these, his 14 string quartets (1862-1895), the "American" Quintet (1893) and the "Dumky" Trio (1890-1891) are outstanding examples of their respective genres, overflowing with attractive folklike melodies set like jewels into the solid fixtures of Brahmsian absolute forms. Dvorï¿½k's "American" and "New World" works arose during the composer's sojourn in the United States in the early 1890s; he was uneasy with American high society and retreated to a small, predominantly Czech town in Iowa for summer vacations during his stay. However, he did make the acquaintance of the pioneering African-American baritone H.T.

Burleigh, who may have influenced the seemingly spiritual-like melodies in the "New World" symphony and other works; some claim that the similarity resulted instead from a natural affinity between African-American and Eastern European melodic structures. By that time, Dvorï¿½k was among the most celebrated of European composers, seen by many as the heir to Brahms, who had championed Dvorï¿½k during the younger composer's long climb to the top. The son of a butcher and occasional zither player, Dvorï¿½k studied the organ in Prague as a young man and worked variously as a cafï¿½ violist and church organist during the 1860s and 1870s while creating a growing body of symphonies, chamber music, and Czech-language opera. For three years in the 1870s he won a government grant (the Viennese critic Hanslick was among the judges) designed to help the careers of struggling young creative artists.

Brahms gained for Dvorï¿½k a contract with his own publisher, Simrock, in 1877; the association proved a profitable one despite an initial controversy that flared when Dvorï¿½k insisted on including Czech-language work titles on the printed covers, a novelty in those musically German-dominated times. In the 1880s and 1890s Dvorï¿½k's reputation became international in scope thanks to a series of major masterpieces that included the Seventh, Eighth, and "New World" symphonies. At the end of his life he turned to opera once again; Rusalka, from 1901, incorporates Wagnerian influences into the musical telling of its legend-based story, and remains the most frequently performed of the composer's vocal works. Dvorï¿½k, a professor at Prague University from 1891 on, exerted a deep influence on Czech music of the twentieth century; among his students was Josef Suk, who also became his son-in-law. Read less Featured Antonï¿½n Dvorï¿½k CDs & DVDs: en/symphony7 | antonin-dvorak.cz approx.

37 min. general characteristics Dvorak’s seventh symphony in succession, written in D minor, enjoys a special status in the composer’s series of nine symphonies. Its gloomy atmosphere is in direct contrast not only to its two neighbouring symphonies (Nos. 6 and 8 ), but also to the large majority of Dvorak’s oeuvre as a whole. It is characteristic for its dramatic expression and sombre atmosphere of grave uncertainty and obstinate defiance. It is distinguished for its absence of any Slav-inspired melodies which were characteristic for the composer’s preceding Slavic period and with which his compositional style is usually associated. In spite of its dramatic impact, this is also a profoundly intimate work where the composer examines the meanderings of his soul and the answers to elementary issues of human existence. While it cannot compete in popularity with Dvorak’s New World Symphony , in terms of its overall conception, the gravity of its testimony and its masterful formal treatment, this is a supreme example of symphonic writing which ranks alongside some of the most important works in the post-Beethoven development of the symphonic genre; a number of experts even place it above the symphonies of Brahms.

sketch for the symphony composition history and sources of inspiration The unusually fervent sentiments of this symphony are sometimes attributed to the death of the composer’s mother. This explanation is somewhat improbable, given the fact that Anna Dvorakova died two years before he began writing the work. Literature on Dvorak also frequently mentions a personal crisis he is supposed to have suffered in the first half of the 1880s as a result of his growing international prestige. The composer was apparently suddenly faced with having to resolve an inner conflict between his patriotism and cosmopolitanism, between the “service to his country” expected of him, and his ambitions for international success, all of which led to a complete change of tone in his oeuvre. According to other interpretations, the character of the symphony may also have been influenced by the troubled socio-political atmosphere of the time. This supposition is based on a note the composer wrote into the score beneath the main theme of the first movement: “This main theme occurred to me upon the arrival at the station of the ceremonial train from Pest in 1884.” (see fig. below) The note refers to the closely scrutinised visit to Prague by several hundred Hungarians and Hungarian Czechs.

The highlight of the programme was a trip to see a performance at the National Theatre, but the whole event was more political than cultural in nature, and involved widespread politico-nationalistic rallies in all the major towns and cities through which the train passed. However, there is no convincing evidence for any of these theories. Whatever the underlying causes, the fact remains that some of Dvorak’s opuses from this period are unusually dark and dramatic. In June 1884 Dvorak received a commission to write a new symphony from the Philharmonic Society in London (along with the news that he had also been elected an honorary member). He gladly accepted this opportunity: after considerable success with the oratorio (his Stabat mater was a triumph in London), he would now be able to present to English audiences proof of his capabilities as a symphonic writer as well. In addition, he was aware of the distinction this would bring, given that the commission had come from the famous institution for which Beethoven had written his Ninth.

Dvorak set to work with the endeavour to create an opus which would surpass everything he had composed to date, the kind of symphony which “must be capable of stirring the world, and may God grant that it will!” It would seem that the idea to abandon Slav folkloric inspiration during the composition of Symphony in D minor was based on a rational decision to create a major work on the scale of Beethoven or Brahms which would triumph on the international music scene. A further impulse governing Dvorak’s resolve to write so significant a piece may also have been Brahms’s comment on the composer’s previous symphony: “I imagine your symphony will be quite unlike this one [ Symphony No. 6 ].” Dvorak’s efforts were crowned by unmitigated success since, in his seventh symphony, he had created one of his masterpieces, flawless in both form and content.

score of the 1st movement formal structure and content Dvorak wrote his seventh symphony just as he was emerging from an inner crisis that had plagued him during the first half of the 1880s; the development of this crisis is also faithfully reflected in the work: the intellectual arc of the piece initially grows up from an atmosphere of agonising doubt, but ultimately leads to an expression of firm resolution. The endeavour to provide both a musical and personal testimony is suggested in the choice of key: Mozart chose D minor for his Requiem, Beethoven chose this key for his ninth symphony, and Brahms for his first piano concerto, namely works whose significance shifts them away from the realm of “mere” music. The intellectual rigour of the work is also apparently mirrored in its sober instrumentation. Here, Dvorak only uses the classical Beethoven roster for his orchestra, while the brass instruments usually serve simply to condense the sound at dynamic high points. The conception of the whole work manifests a remarkable thematic cohesion, stylistic unity and uncommon compactness in the four-movement form. It is interesting to note the affinity of this symphony with the composer’s Hussite Overture .

In the same way that both works grow up from a similar initial mood, we will also identify tonal associations in their thematic material. The character of the first movement in sonata form is determined above all by the disposition of its main theme. Its sombre introduction set against the sustained note D is kept within the range of a fourth interval and is reminiscent of the proverbial “calm before the storm”. In its second part the theme suddenly rises up and surprisingly ends in a diminished seventh chord. The second subject is more conciliatory, yet, as it gradually evolves, a certain duskiness begins to take hold here as well. The development in the first movement is one of the most dramatic of Dvorak’s entire oeuvre, and its impact is again palpable, if not stronger, in the coda. The first movement ends with one of the composer’s most imaginative resolutions: the drama of the coda, becoming more intense towards the climax, suddenly recedes, and the music ebbs away resignedly in the same spirit in which the movement began. The dilemma was not addressed, nor were doubts cast aside, thus leaving a host of ideas open for the other movements of the symphony.

title page of the score with a photo attached of conductor Hans von Bulow and Dvorak’s note: “Hurrah! You brought this work to life!” (a reference to von Bulow’s superb performance of the work in Berlin) The second movement, Poco adagio, introduces a certain sense of calm, although it cannot be described as a carefree idyll. The music at this point is sometimes seen as a prayer for the peace of the soul. After the premiere, Dvorak shortened the movement by 40 bars, a fact he related in a letter to his publisher Simrock: “The Adagio is currently much shorter and more compact and now I am convinced that there is not a single superfluous note in the work.” The third movement, Scherzo, is composed in A-B-A form. In keeping with the overall mood of the symphony, it contains a number of sombre accents. The main section is structured around a highly rhythmical main theme, yet its dance-like character is relative to a contrasting counter-melody and its potential cheerful spirit is suppressed by the fundamental key of D minor.

Moreover, towards the end of part A, the torrent of music progressively draws in increasingly dramatic elements which eventually churn together in some kind of wild, dark vortex. The fourth movement in sonata form (with an abridged recapitulation) might be characterised as an image of a heroic surge of will, an impression evoked immediately in the main theme with its opening ascending octave leap. The entire movement is an example of masterful thematic treatment, unfailing invention and a sense of the architecture overall. The movement culminates in an impressively structured coda which, with its resolute, liberated expression, brings the work to a confident close. premiere and subsequent performances Dvorak completed the symphony on 17 March 1885 and, by 22 April of that same year, during his third visit to England, he conducted its premiere at London’s St. James’s Hall. The work was given an enthusiastic reception, which Dvorak described two days later in a letter to his friend Vaclav Juda Novotny : “My dear friend! Before you receive this letter, you will probably already have heard of the outcome and of my reception here in London.

The symphony was well liked and the audience acknowledged me and welcomed me in the most ostentatious fashion. There was pandemonium after every movement, rousing to the very end, just like at home, in fact. But this is, as always, a minor concern for me. What is important is that the symphony, even with only two rehearsals, went superbly. It was such a shame that you could not witness so wonderful a performance!” A number of major English newspapers (The Times, Daily News, Sunday Times, Morning Post, Daily Telegraph, Athenaeum etc.) printed extensive reviews, for the most part effusive in their praise (see below). One music critic for the London Times was less enthusiastic, however, according to whom “the entire work is painted gris-en-gris: it lacks sweetness of melody and lightness of style: it is lugubrious without the pathos of sadness which is more elevating than joy itself”. On 29 November that same year the symphony was performed for the first time in Prague’s Rudolfinum, again conducted by Dvorak himself.

The symphony was also performed in German concert venues, thanks to the efforts of two leading conductors of their day: Hans Richter and Hans von Bulow . Richter first conducted the symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic on 16 January 1887, but the reception of the work was rather luke-warm. Richter, a great admirer of Dvorak’s music, was himself surprised at this and expressed as much in a letter to the composer: “Your Scherzo capriccioso went down well in Vienna; unfortunately, the symphony was not appreciated as much as I had hoped, or anticipated, given the flawless performance from the Philharmonic: our Philharmonic audiences are often, well, peculiar, to say the least! But this won’t distract me.” Nevertheless, the symphony was a triumph at two performances in Berlin given by Hans von Bulow. Dvorak was present at both concerts (27 and 28 October 1889) and, overjoyed at the reception of his work, he attached a photograph of Bulow onto the title page of the autograph score, adding the note: “Hurrah!

You brought this work to life!” That the work successfully travelled overseas was to a large extent due to celebrated Hungarian-German conductor Arthur Nikisch, who presented the symphony on several occasions during his tour of the United States in 1891. first edition Despite the huge success of Dvorak’s symphony in London, and despite its undisputed qualities as a major piece of symphonic writing, Dvorak still had to negotiate at length with his publisher Simrock . The latter offered the composer a fee of 3,000 marks with a voucher for works Dvorak had previously had published which were “still sitting around in the stockroom” and were thus not making the publisher any money. However, after the recent successes of his symphonies and other works at various concert venues abroad, Dvorak began to realise his worth. He refused the offer and requested a considerably higher sum: 6,000 marks. Simrock responded with a comprehensive letter, in which he explained that similarly lengthy works (symphonies, operas etc.) were not profitable and he advised Dvorak only to write shorter piano pieces that had a ready market.

At this point he expressed his interest for the first time in a further series of Slavonic Dances , in which he saw, as Dvorak remarked, a “gold mine”. Simrock wrote the following on 1 May 1885: “Write me two volumes of Slavonic Dances for four hands; it will be much simpler for you than some symphony, it won’t even be a quarter of the work and effort, and I’ll be happy to pay you 2,000 marks for them, as opposed to 3,000 for a symphony!”. Dvorak responded to Simrock’s commercial reckonings with a frequently quoted letter dated 18 May 1885. It contained within it what might be described as the composer’s artistic creed: “If we take and examine with sound judgement everything you suggested in your last letter, we will arrive at a simple conclusion: Not to write any symphonies, major vocal works or instrumental compositions, just to come up with a few songs, piano pieces or dances and I don’t know what else, as an artist who wants to make a difference, I have to say that I cannot do this!

Consider this, my dear friend, this is how I see things from where I stand, as a musician.” In the end, Simrock stepped down, but only after Dvorak had promised him a further series of Slavonic Dances . The disagreement did not end there, however. Dvorak insisted that the printed piano score for the symphony should also have a Czech title, and that his Christian name shouldn’t appear as its German equivalent (“Anton”), but at least as the neutral abbreviation “Ant.”. Simrock’s reply to this isn’t known, while one has a clear gist from Dvorak’s subsequent letter: “My dear friend Simrock! Do not mock my Czech brothers, and do not pity me, either.

What I asked of you was merely my wish and, if you cannot fulfil it, I am justified in perceiving a lack of goodwill on your part such as I have not found either among English or French publishers.” The dispute about the title printed on the piano score edition gradually acquired a national political dimension, to which Dvorak responded with a decisive standpoint in his letter of 10 September 1885: “But what have we two to do with politics; let us be glad that we can dedicate our services to art. And let us hope that nations which possess and represent art will never perish, no matter how small they are. Forgive me, but I simply wanted to say to you that an artist also has his country in which he must place his staunch faith and for which he must have a fervent heart.” The disagreement with Simrock was for the moment amicably brushed aside, only to come to a head five years later in connection with the publication of Symphony No. 8 in G major . The quarrel ended with a temporary suspension of business relations.

period press review London journal Athenaeum writing about the premiere: “Let it be said at once and decidedly that the new work fully satisfied the highest expectations that had been formed regarding it; and that his symphony in D minor is not only entirely worthy of his reputation, but is one of the greatest works of its class produced in the present generation. Dvorak’s music is equally interesting, and we may add satisfying, to adherents of the conservative and the progressive schools of art – to the former because it illustrates the fact that it is possible to create something entirely new and original without departing from the formal outlines or the cannons of art laid down by the greatest masters of the past; to the more modern school because of the boldness of his harmonic progressions and the freedom of his rhythmic combinations. [...] The finale of the symphony is fully equal to any of the preceding movements; in its sustained power and masculine energy it may be placed by the side of the magnificent final movement of Schubert’s great Symphony in C, which, though widely different in its themes, it resembles in its exhaustless flow of melody, and even more, perhaps, in the resistless impulse with which it carries everything before it.

We are inclined on a first hearing to place this new symphony even above those of Brahms, which it equals in masterly treatment and exquisite instrumentation while it surpasses them in spontaneity of invention.” All rights reserved | všechna práva vyhrazena © | 2005-2017 Antonï¿½n Dvorï¿½k Find Music / Composers / Antonín Dvorák / Choral / Requiem Mass, Op. 89/B 165 Antonï¿½n Dvorï¿½k Biography Born: 1841 Died: 1904 Country: Czechoslovakia Period: Romantic Widely regarded as the most distinguished of Czech composers, Antonin Dvorï¿½k (1841-1904) produced attractive and vigorous music possessed of clear formal outlines, melodies that are both memorable and spontaneous-sounding, and a colorful, effective instrumental sense. Dvorï¿½k is considered one of the major figures of nationalism, both proselytizing for and making actual use of folk influences, which he expertly combined with Classical forms in Read more works of all genres.

His symphonies are among his most widely appreciated works; the Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World," 1893) takes a place among the finest and most popular examples of the symphonic literature. Similarly, his Cello Concerto (1894-1895) is one of the cornerstones of the repertory, providing the soloist an opportunity for virtuosic flair and soaring expressivity. Dvorï¿½k displayed special skill in writing for chamber ensembles, producing dozens of such works; among these, his 14 string quartets (1862-1895), the "American" Quintet (1893) and the "Dumky" Trio (1890-1891) are outstanding examples of their respective genres, overflowing with attractive folklike melodies set like jewels into the solid fixtures of Brahmsian absolute forms.

Dvorï¿½k's "American" and "New World" works arose during the composer's sojourn in the United States in the early 1890s; he was uneasy with American high society and retreated to a small, predominantly Czech town in Iowa for summer vacations during his stay. However, he did make the acquaintance of the pioneering African-American baritone H.T. Burleigh, who may have influenced the seemingly spiritual-like melodies in the "New World" symphony and other works; some claim that the similarity resulted instead from a natural affinity between African-American and Eastern European melodic structures. By that time, Dvorï¿½k was among the most celebrated of European composers, seen by many as the heir to Brahms, who had championed Dvorï¿½k during the younger composer's long climb to the top. The son of a butcher and occasional zither player, Dvorï¿½k studied the organ in Prague as a young man and worked variously as a cafï¿½ violist and church organist during the 1860s and 1870s while creating a growing body of symphonies, chamber music, and Czech-language opera.

For three years in the 1870s he won a government grant (the Viennese critic Hanslick was among the judges) designed to help the careers of struggling young creative artists. Brahms gained for Dvorï¿½k a contract with his own publisher, Simrock, in 1877; the association proved a profitable one despite an initial controversy that flared when Dvorï¿½k insisted on including Czech-language work titles on the printed covers, a novelty in those musically German-dominated times. In the 1880s and 1890s Dvorï¿½k's reputation became international in scope thanks to a series of major masterpieces that included the Seventh, Eighth, and "New World" symphonies. At the end of his life he turned to opera once again; Rusalka, from 1901, incorporates Wagnerian influences into the musical telling of its legend-based story, and remains the most frequently performed of the composer's vocal works.

Dvorï¿½k, a professor at Prague University from 1891 on, exerted a deep influence on Czech music of the twentieth century; among his students was Josef Suk, who also became his son-in-law. Read less Featured Antonï¿½n Dvorï¿½k CDs & DVDs: Antonin Dvorak Antonin Dvorak 1941 - 1904 Antonin Dvorak was a brilliant composer born on September 8, 1841, in the Bohemian town of Nelahozeves. He was exposed to music at a young age at his father's inn, where local folk music was a part of every day life. Before the age of twelve, Dvorak was a proven musician. He was able to accompany local musicians on his violin in various Bohemian dances and folk songs. At the age of sixteen, his music teacher and parents, even with serious financial hardships, sent him to an organ school in Prague. After graduating from the school in 1859, Dvorak continued to live in Prague without financial assistance from his father.

By this time, he was a virtuoso violist and played in inns and theatre orchestras to make a living. He also taught to supplement his income. By the 1860's, Dvorak had begun to compose. He was living very meagerly at the time, and was barely able to afford paper to write on and a piano to play. By 1864, various works, including Symphonies 1 and 2, and the opera King and Collier were lying unheard upon his desk. The styles expressed in his earlier music were similar to that of Wagner and Liszt, influences he would abandon in years to come. By the year 1875, Dvorak had become successful. He had been awarded a bursary from the Austrian government and was able to compose full time without having to worry about money. He had married Anna Cermakova in 1873 and had settled into a very happy family life, unusual for a Romantic composer. He was an active Christian, devoting some of his choral music, such as Stabat Mater, to the church. Dvorak also had many hobbies outside of music.

He was often seen at railway yards loco-watching" or at his summer house in Prague bird-watching. By the year 1893, Dvorak had composed eight of his nine symphonies, six operas, a small portion of his chamber music, three concertos, two overtures, most of his choral music, and his Slavonic dances and rhapsodies, the dances being in response to Brahms' Hungarian dances. In 1892, the composer was asked to be director of the new National Conservatory of Music in New York City. He was paid fifteen thousand dollars a year, a huge sum in those days, but he missed his native Bohemia and moved back three years later. However, it was during his brief stay in the United States that he wrote his best known work. This piece, said to be reminiscent of several folk songs of the black population in the southern United States, was peppered with images and colours of Dvorak's stay in America, the New World. II.

The Symphony Symphony Number Nine in E minor, "From the New World", was written in two places: New York City and Spillville, Iowa, a Bohemian settlement where Dvorak would spend his summers with his kinsmen. The music, as most of Dvorak's is, is delightfully simple and beautiful. Extensively explored in this symphony, Dvorak's style of simple folk melodies blending together is brought out wonderfully. This was his last symphonic composition, of which there were nine of them to follow in Beethoven's footsteps. This one was originally labeled Number Five because of the order in which his publisher published them. "From the New World" is very characteristic of the Romantic era. Built on the traditional style of four movements, the first movement being the fastest, the second the slowest, and the remaining two being consecutively faster, it is very uncharacteristic in content. They symphony is about forty minutes long, also very characteristic of the Romantic era. The simple yet elegant melodies are in stark contrast to many of his contemporaries' music. He is the only major composer to use melodies of the black population of America in his works.

The folk songs of this people had such a strong effect on him that he mentioned that his stay in the United States was "a legacy which makes free use of the Negro's musical language." Despite the minor key in which the symphony is cast, the overall tone and feeling of the music is one of happiness, gaiety, and animation. A detailed analytical discussion follows on each individual movement in the symphony. A. The First Movement The first movement in the new world is entitled Adagio: Allegro molto. The first bars, the introduction, are set in an adagio rhythm with a time signature of 4/8. The introduction is rather long, however, when it ends, the main theme of the movement is given by the french horns. The rest of the movement, still in the key of E minor, has a 2/4 time signature, and is the allegro molto section. The phrase given by the horns is arpeggio-like and is very light cheerful. It is repeated other times by the oboe and later the horns are joined by the trombones, creating a very bold and brassy effect.

In between the two major themes in the first movement, is an area sharply accented, very bold, and syncopated region. This area, while having their origins in the music of America's south, is very typical of Slavonic music with which Dvorak was well acquainted. The second theme in the first movement from "From the New World" has excited audience members for years. Introduced by the flute and echoed by french horn and trumpet, this theme is thought to be based upon a song that is well known today: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. The first illumination of the theme by the flutes and oboes is accompanied by a drone pianomissimo D concert note by the french horns and violins. Finishing off the movement is a small coda, or codetta, after a repeat of the first theme. The coda is a little more flamboyant than the previous themes, and the heavy use of the brass section may be reminiscent of Wagner's works upon Dvorak's musical styles. The total movement is about nine minutes in length. B. Second Movement The second movement of Symphony No. 9 in E minor is the most popular section of the work by far.

Originally entitled Adagio, Dvorak changed the title after he heard the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Anton Seidil in a rehearsal for the symphony's first performance. The orchestra played the movement much slower than an adagio tempo, and Dvorak liked this expression much more than his original intentions. The new name for this movement was Largo. The movement is set in 4/4 time, but this time starts in the key of D flat major. This is the longest movement in the symphony, being about eleven minutes in length. The tender melody is introduced by the english horn and follows a sombre chordal passage brought out by the horns, trumpet, and trombone. Many critics have called it "the most beautiful use of the english horn found in all orchestral literature." It has been compared to "a homesick immigrant, who has come to the New World in search of fortune." The theme is accompanied by strings first, later the oboes and flutes are added. It is later repeated with clarinets and still later with the horns. The second theme of the second movement in "From the New World" is played by flute and oboe.

This time, the key has modulated to E major. Like the first theme, it is very simple and elegant. The movement continues, and the first theme is repeated. This puts the entire movement in an A-B-A format, with the "B" section being slightly faster than the "A." The melodies in this particular movement pose a particular problem for musical historians. No one is really sure as to what source Dvorak used for inspiration for the tunes. Miss Alice Fletcher, a prominent collector of native tribal music, said that the composer told her that the basis for the melody came from an Osage Indian song he heard in Iowa. However, William Armes Fisher, a fellow teacher at the Conservatory, said that Dvorak told him that all the music in the symphony was entirely original. Another person claimed that the music was original, but Dvorak had been reading Longfellow's Hiawatha just he composed the second movement. All possibilities are open for debate, for it is feasible that Dvorak told one thing in one nation and another to other nations in order to get people to praise his work. C. Third Movement For his last symphony, Dvorak stayed within the confines of Romantic symphony form.

This is very true for the third movement as well. This scherzo is in the orthodox style. Again in the A-B-A format, this section is still set in E minor, however, the time signature changes to 3/4. The tempo markings for this is allegro vivace, a lively pace. The "A" section of this movement is quite lively. It opens with interesting arpeggio-like passages played by the French horns. The primary theme changes hands many times, going from the flutes and oboes, to the first violins, to the cellos, to the double bass, and finally to the horns. The other instruments keep together the unique rhythms of this section. The theme is presented in two bar sections. Throughout all this, the arpeggio passage heard in the introduction recurs often, but with different instruments playing it. The second theme of the primary section is very simplistic, reminding the listener of the Largo movement's opening. Like the second movement, it is illustrated by flutes and oboes with string accompaniment. The key has modulated to E major by this time. The "B" portion of the Scherzo is a Trio, a slightly faster section.

The movement modulates back to E minor to start this section off. The primary theme is a light, jolly dance. The second theme is reminds us that Dvorak is Bohemian in origin. Its melody is an old world waltz. To finish the movement off, the "A" section is repeated again, after which there is a small coda. The coda may also be based upon "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." A different connecting arpeggio passage, shown below, is present within the coda and literally bursts into the concert hall with the help of the lower brass. This is the shortest movement in Dvorak's Symphony No. Nine in E minor, being about eight minutes in length. D. Fourth Movement The fourth movement has a tempo marking of allegro con fuoco. Like the second movement, it is set with a 4/4 time signature, but the key is in E minor. "This finale is regarded a remarkable illustration of Dvorak's symphonic technique." Apart from the use of melodies previously heard in the symphony, the composer comes up with some enticing new ones as well. The first theme of the movement is an explosion of sound and tone colours after the introduction.

Shouted by the French horns and trumpets, this theme is also very characteristic of Dvorak, and it clearly shows his nationalistic preferences. A second, less important theme is later introduced by a clarinet accompanied by a string tremolo. It is after this that themes from the previous three movements come into play. Included in the collection are the first themes from all three previous movements. The symphony comes to a close after a brilliant, enormous ending. During the fourth movement, there is a single, solitary cymbal use, a feature which is absolutely critical to some people and useless and trivial to some others. At one performance of this piece, the cymbalist missed his cue. When the conductor, Hans Richter, returned many years later to conduct "From the New World" again, he had still not forgiven the percussionist. He even asked the concert master, "Dat Becken man, is he dead?" This use of an instrument in a single place in the score is also very characteristic of Dvorak, and is repeated in the second movement with a piccolo and in several other symphonies. III. Conclusion To end off the discussion on Dvorak's Symphony No.

9 in E minor correctly, one must listen to the work. For one hundred years, people have been doing just that. They have listened to the composer's expressions, thoughts, impressions, and his view of America. They have listened to influences as diverse as the black population of the southern United States, the natives in the American midwest, and his own influences in Bohemia: the country folk and their music, with whom Dvorak was in his glory. The large majority of people who hear "From the New World" are struck by its simplicity and elegance. They fall in love with the symphony very easily. However, professional music critics have often thought of it as a bunch of folk tunes loosely strung together, sort of a patchwork quilt. Nevertheless, this work has remained the composer's most popular for over one hundred years. It probably will remain with us for many more. As Dvorak said the night Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World," was first performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Anton Seidil on December 15, 1893,:

Question: What is the christian name of the classical composer Dvorak?
Answer: ANTONIN